Feedback scattered across emails, a separate document, or memory is easy to lose track of. Keeping it anchored directly to the text it's about, using Deckle's Comments, means nothing gets missed when you sit down to revise.
What You'll Need
- A manuscript in Deckle that a beta reader or editor will be reading and commenting on.
Step-by-Step
- Leave inline comments on specific passages as you (or your reader) go. Select the text in question, then comment on it, so the note stays attached to exactly the right spot even if the surrounding text shifts later.
- Use document-level notes for feedback about a whole scene or chapter, rather than one line. Place your cursor with nothing selected before commenting, and it files against the document as a whole.
- Review everything from the Inspector's Comments tab, where inline comments and document notes are grouped separately, so structural feedback doesn't get lost among line-level notes. Once feedback is spread across several chapters, switch to the project-wide "View all comments" list instead. It's searchable and grouped by document, so you can work through a whole reader's notes in one pass without opening each chapter individually.
- Resolve a comment once you've addressed it, rather than deleting it immediately. Resolved comments stay visible but marked, which is a useful record of what's already been handled if you (or your editor) revisit the manuscript later.
- Work through feedback in a popout window if you want the main editor free. Resolving or deleting a comment there updates the Inspector and any other open view of that document immediately.
Common Mistakes
- Leaving every note as a document-level comment out of habit. Inline comments anchored to specific text are far easier to act on later. Reserve document-level notes for feedback that genuinely applies to the whole scene or chapter.
- Deleting comments as soon as they're addressed. Resolving instead of deleting keeps a record of what's already been handled, which matters if you're working through a long list of feedback over several sessions.
- Not checking the Comments tab for document-level notes. They're easy to miss if you're only scanning the text for inline comment marks. The Inspector's Comments tab is the one place that shows both at once.
FAQ
Should feedback about a whole chapter be an inline comment or a document-level note?
A document-level note. Leave nothing selected when you open the comment tool, and it files against the whole document instead of one line.
What's the difference between resolving and deleting a comment?
Resolving keeps it visible but marked as handled, a record you can revisit. Deleting removes it entirely. Resolving is usually the better default while you're still working through a full pass of feedback.
Can I review feedback in a separate window while still editing the manuscript?
Yes. Open the document in a popout and work through its comments there; changes stay in sync with the main editor and the Inspector.
My beta reader left comments across a dozen chapters. Do I have to open each one to see them?
No. Use the project-wide "View all comments" list from the Inspector's Comments tab. It groups every comment by document and lets you search across all of them, so you can work through a whole reader's feedback without hunting chapter by chapter.